Leonardo Bastida A.

More funds demanded for research in the fight against AIDS

The 4th Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention comes to a close. Scientists demand 10% of funds for research. Research necessary for good policy

Entitled “Good Research Drives Good Policy and Programming”, the scientific community that came together at the 4th Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention that ended today announced the Sydney Declaration.

Scientists called by the International AIDS Society (IAS) ask that 10 percent of all funds dedicated to the fight against AIDS on a worldwide level should be used for research, a percentage that would be put towards optimizing interventions and health services.

Researchers consider that good results have been achieved over the past 25 years in terms of HIV prevention, treatment and care, which are today resulting in new prevention technologies and drugs and new strategies to manage and control both. However, the scientific community’s opinion is that the global community is responding to the immediate crisis and is not concerned about the future.

They argue that research, like prevention and clinical treatment, is necessary because it helps identify which treatments and drugs are effective and which are not and why, directly benefiting those living with HIV/AIDS.

Among other needs, researchers mention linking treatment for diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis to HIV, linking hospital workers with research to measure the effectiveness of new technologies and drugs, and ruling out theories of HIV/AIDS denialists as well as “magic” cures.

Therefore, the Sydney Declaration appeals for more resources to finance research in the fight against HIV/AIDS in order to be able to provide better solutions to eradicate the pandemic.

Children with HIV in need of urgent care

The last day of the 4th Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention held in Sydney took a look at advances and needs faced by children living with HIV. Figures offered by different organizations indicate that there are 2.3 million children with HIV, with this figure increasing by 600 thousand every year.

Dr. Anette Sohn, from the University of California, stated that better generic pediatric antiretrovirals that are potent enough to improve treatments and reduce side effects for infants, including encephalopathy, which reduces the patient’s neurocognitive development and loss of bone density, are needed.

The development of specific antiretrovirals for infants is also required as those currently used to treat these patients are created for adults. The need for social support programs for the families of children with HIV so they can continue or start their treatments was also expressed as at this time only 15 percent of infected children are treated.

The virus mutates

One of the scientific community’s major concerns is the mutation and enormous adaptive capacity of HIV-1. Dr. Ben Berkhout, from the laboratory of experimental virology at the University of Amsterdam in Holland, explained that viruses have high mutation rates and very short generation times and therefore quickly adapt to the host organism.

It has been demonstrated at the laboratory lead by Berkhout that HIV-1 is not only becoming resistant to drugs but that it has also become dependent on some of them.

Homophobia, an open wound

The Foundation for AIDS Research (FAR) expressed its concern regarding the stigma suffered by people with HIV who acquired the disease from MSM sex (men who have sex with other men).

Most people being discriminated against are from underdeveloped countries of Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America. In 85 countries of the world, it is illegal for two people of the same sex to have sex and their access to health services is restricted.

Dr. Peter Piot, executive director of UNAIDS, declared that “empowering MSM and other marginalized groups to protect themselves from HIV is one of the world’s most urgent health priorities”.

So Conference activities came to a close in Sydney with the attendance of five thousand delegates from 133 countries. Hoping for better perspectives, it was announced that the next meeting will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2009.

Terra